The Necklace: Study Guide
Critical Reading: Identify the letter of the choice that best answers the question.
1) Which City is the setting for “The Necklace”?
a. Rome
b. Paris
2) At the beginning of the story, what is the cause of Madame Loisel’s constant
unhappiness?
a. Her marriage
b. Her desire to be wealthy
3) What literary technique is illustrated by this passage from Maupassant’s
story?
“She would have so loved to charm, to be envied, to be admired and
sought after”
a. Direct Characterization
b. Irony
4) What conclusion might you draw about Madame Loisel’s character, based
on the life she wants to live?
a. She enjoys working
b. She cares most about material things
5) What conclusion can you draw about Monsieur Loisel, based on his
treatment of his wife?
a. He cares a lot about his wife’s happiness
b. He enjoys accompanying his wife to fancy receptions
6) Which word best describes Madame Loisel’s friendship with Madame
Forestier?
a. Envy
b. Equality
7) Where does Madame Loisel lose Madame Forestier’s necklace?
a. On a trip
b. At a ball
8) Which of the following is a direct effect of Madame Loisel’s loss of the
necklace?
a. A life of poverty and hard physical labor
b. A bitter quarrel with Madame Forestier
9) Choose the order in which these vents happen in Maupassant’s story.
i. Madame Loisel borrows the necklace
ii. Madame Loisel meets Madame Forestier on the Champs
Elysees
iii. Monsieur Loisel receives an invitation for a reception at the
Ministry
iv. Madame Loisel writes her friend a letter to explain the delay in
returning the necklace
a. IV, I, III, II
b. III, I, IV, II
10) Which of the following literary elements is prominent in the story’s ending?
a. Point of view
b. Irony
11) Which word best describes Madame Loisel’s feelings at the end of the story?
a. Indifference
b. Fear
12) Which word most nearly means the same as rueful as it is used in this
sentence?
“The very sight of the little Breton girl who cleaned for her awoke rueful
thoughts and the wildest dreams in her mind.”
a. Sorrowful
b. Angry
13) Which sentence uses the word disheveled correctly?
a. At the ball, Madame Loisel looks disheveled in her fine gown and
necklace.
b. Years of hard labor had resulted in madame Loisel’s disheveled
appearance.
14) Which item correctly identifies the underlined part of this sentence?
Cathy pulled up her socks and giggled.
a. Direct object
b. Predicate
Essay
15) Madame Loisel’s life changes when she expereiences the conflict between having
a desire for fine material possessions and coping with poverty and debt. The
narrator of “The Necklace” indicates that this conflict changes Madame Loisel. In
an essay, tell how this conflict makes her into a stronger, better woman. Support
your ideas with details from the story.